New Delhi: Air India has been fined Rs 10 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for denying boarding to passengers holding valid tickets.
“After going through AI submissions, as part of enforcement action, the competent authority has levied a penalty of Rs 10 Lakh. In addition, the airline has been advised to immediately put the systems in place to resolve the issue failing which further action shall be taken by DGCA,” the aviation watchdog said in a statement, India Today reported.
After conducting a series of checks at Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, the DGCA found that a slew of airlines was denying flyers despite their having valid tickets and showing up on time. Despite guidelines on the same being in place, certain airlines were not following them.
“In the case of Air India — where the regulation is not being followed — a show-cause notice was issued to the Airline and also a personal hearing was afforded. It appears that the airline does not have a policy in this regard and is not paying any compensation to hapless passengers, whose numbers can be anybody’s guess,” the DGCA was quoted as saying.
Laying down guidelines for denying boarding to a passenger despite a valid ticket, the DGCA said in case an airline is able to arrange an alternate flight for the said passenger within an hour, no compensation is to be paid.
However, if the airline is able to provide the alternate arrangement within the next 24 hours, compensation up to Rs 10,000 is prescribed, it said, adding that for anything beyond 24 hours, a compensation up to Rs 20,000 is laid down.
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